Over 10,000 health workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Africa and the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to prevent the further spread of the infection, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2020) Over 10,000 health workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Africa and the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to prevent the further spread of the infection, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, said on Thursday.
"In the African region, more than 10,000 health worker have been infected with COVID-19. One of the biggest challenges in protecting health workers has been the global shortage of PPE which has severely affected countries on the continent," Moeti said at a briefing.
According to the WHO official, more than two million items of PPE, including masks, have been transferred to African countries, and one million is to be delivered this week, but this amount is not enough to protect medical personnel.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Africa has surpassed 769,000 since the beginning of the outbreak, and the death toll from the disease has reached 16,000, according to the latest WHO figures.
